Make this nostalgic German recipe part of your holiday baking this year.

By Staff Author

Published on October 18, 2025

Credit:

Kelsey Hansen | Food Styling: Addelyn Evans

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These spicy bite-size cookies have been a holiday favorite of German bakers for centuries. And the best part of this simple Christmas cookie recipe is that you probably already have the ingredients sitting in your pantry. Go ahead, take a look, then come back and scroll down for step-by-step instructions and tips.

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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup molasses

  • 1/4 cup salted butter

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda

  • 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

  • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice

  • 1/8 tsp. black pepper

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • Powdered sugar

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan combine molasses and butter. Cook and stir over low until butter melts. Pour into a large bowl; cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl stir together next seven ingredients (through pepper).

  2. Stir egg into molasses mixture. Stir in flour mixture until combined, kneading in flour mixture, if needed. Divide dough in half. Wrap and chill until dough is easy to handle, 1 to 2 hours.

  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide each dough half into three portions. On a lightly floured surface roll each portion into a 10-inch rope (¾ inch thick). Cut ropes crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Place pieces ½ inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.

  4. Bake until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown, about 10 minutes. If you like, in a large bowl toss warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool completely.